Costa RicaSan josÉ

Traditional clothing

Men and women both wear unique clothes in Costa Rica. Men’s clothing is simple and elegant. The man wears a plain, solid colored top (it’s usually white, but any bright color other than red would do) and long pants (once again, usually white, but any bright color excepting red would be fine, but it should, to be perfectly traditional, be the same color as the top). As a dash of color, once again a wide red cloth, usually silk would be tied like a cummerbund between the top and pants. As a final touch men wear straw cowboy hats and a red handkerchief fashionably tied around the neck

For women traditional clothes is a dress with no sleeves and thick, frilly ruffles sticking out from the shoulders. The most popular colors are rojo, azul, and amarillo, but any bright color will do. The dresses have long skirts made of flowered, shiny material that reaches all the way to the woman’s ankles. Although the skirt is fancy, the clothing from the waist up is plain white cotton top (which sometimes has frills round the color, it’s a sheer, low cut, u-neck top) and a wide red cloth is wrapped around the shirt and skirt like a cummerbund to make a dress. As a final touch many woman put flowers in their ears or wrap cotton or silk shawls called a rebozo.

Climate

Tropical sunshine, Pacific trade wind breezes and cool misty mountains are just a part of Costa Rica's temperate tropical climate. Nestled into Central America, Costa Rica's north of the equator with a climate marked by two seasons: the dry season (Dec.-April) and the wet season (May-Nov.). Despite its proximity to the equatorial sun, average daily temperatures range between 71 and 81 degrees. Elevation and land orientation help keep the daily average temperatures down through much of the country and also affect the amount of precipitation with rainy, misty microclimates adjacent to drier regions.

The Costa Rica flag

As officially described, the coat of arms represents: three volcanoes (one for each of the three mountain ranges in the country) and an extensive valley between two oceans (Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea) with a merchant ship in each one (representing the maritime history of the country). In the horizon a rising sun. All are surrounded by a golden frame with golden beads (coffee). Two palms close the arms joined by a white ribbon with the motto "República de Costa Rica" in gold. An arch of seven stars represent the provinces of the republic. The arms are crowned by a blue ribbon with the motto "America Central".

Foods

A Casado (Spanish, "married man") is a Costa Rican meal using rice, black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla, and an optional entrée that may include chicken, beef, pork, fish and so on.

Population

Costa Rica is home to over 4 million people. Many are from different ethnic groups. Here are a few of the cultural groups.

The Boruca (also known as the Brunca or the Brunka) are an indigenous people living in Costa Rica. The tribe has about 2,660 members, most of whom live on a reservation in the Puntarenas Province in southwestern Costa Rica, a few miles away from the Pan-American Highway where it follows the Rio Terraba. The ancestors of the modern Boruca made up a group of chiefdoms that ruled most of Costa Rica's Pacific coast, from Quepos to what is now the Panamanian border, including the Osa Peninsula. Boruca traditionally spoke the Boruca language, which is now nearly extinct.

The Bribri are an indigenous people of Costa Rica. They live in the Talamanca (canton) in Limón Province of Costa Rica.[3] They speak the Bribri language and Spanish. There are varying estimates of the population of the tribe. According to a census by the Ministerio de Salud, there are 11,500 Bribri living within service range of the Hone Creek Clinic alone. They are a voting majority in the Puerto Viejo de Talamanca area. Other estimates of tribal population in Costa Rica range much higher, reaching 35,000.

The Cabécar are an indigenous group of the remote Talamanca region of eastern Costa Rica. They speak Cabécar, a language belonging to the Chibchan language family of the Isthmo-Colombian Area of lower Central America and northwestern Colombia. the Cabécar are the largest indigenous group in Costa Rica with a population of nearly 17,000.[1]

Money and exchange rate

In Costa Rica, their currency is called colón. For every one American dollar, it is 551.10 colons. from this you can see that they are very poor and most likely have a very bad economy.

Type of government

Costa Rica has a government that can be described as a democratic republic. Which means it is both republic and democratic. They do not have a dictator and instead are ruled by a president named, Luis Guillermo Solís.

History

The first natives in Costa Rica were hunters and gatherers, and Costa Rica served as an "Intermediate Region" between Mesoamerican and Andean native cultures.

In 1502, Christopher Columbus made landfall in Costa Rica. Soon after, his forces overcame the indigenous people. He incorporated the territory into the Captaincy General of Guatemala as a province of New Spain in 1524. For the next 300 years, Costa Rica was a colony of Spain. As a result, Costa Rica's culture has been greatly influenced by the culture of Spain.

Following the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821), Costa Rica became part of the independent Mexican Empire in 1821. Subsequently, Costa Rica was part of the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823, before gaining full independence in 1838. Its economy struggled due to lack of connections with European suppliers. In 1856, Costa Rica resisted American settlers from mounting a take-over of the government.

After 1869, Costa Rica established a democratic government.[1]

After the Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, the government drafted a new constitution, guaranteeing universal suffrage and the dismantling of the military. Today, Costa Rica is a democracy that relies on technology and eco-tourism for its economy. Although poverty has declined since the turn of the 21st century, economic problems still exist. Costa Rica is facing problems of underemployment, foreign and internal debt, and a trade deficiency.[1]

The national Language

Costa Rica's official and predominant language is Spanish. The variety spoken there, Costa Rican Spanish, is a form of Central American Spanish.

Religions

Roman Catholicism is the official religion of Costa Rica, yet there is freedom for other religions. Over 80% of Costa Rica's population considers themselves to be Roman Catholic; however, few are wholly committed to their faith.

Protestants had a rough start in Costa Rica, and there are still many pressures upon them even though the country claims religious freedom.